TV Reviews

The 5 Best Vampire Shows / Films You Have To Watch This Year | Film News

I’ve created a list of must haves for your weekend binge of horror, thriller and a little bit of comedy. It’s all in there, from the cheesy-but-brilliant vamp flicks to the serious / artistic shows / films. This list has it all, so if, like me, you love a bit of supernatural TV, keep reading for the best of the best!

I was contemplating leaving The Vampire Diaries on the list, but there’s a reason I didn’t – read on to find out why.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

I hope I’m not being one of those annoying super-fans, but this is, in my opinion, the best TV show ever created. Okay so it’s not for everyone, what with the awful CGI and bad English accents in the final series, but it is special. When it comes to writing, Joss Whedon really out did himself, and Sarah Michelle Gellar does heartbreak incredibly well. A little too well.

Anyone remember “The Body“? Originally a film, Whedon failed at creating an image for Buffy, and it almost seemed to imitate The Lost Boys in terms of style, just not anywhere near as good! But he didn’t give up there. Instead he turned to TV, realising that Buffy’s story was too complex to be told in one movie. The Buffy we know and love began in 1997, after the events of the film. She moves to Sunnydale, California, and goes to school on a Hellmouth.

What I like about this show, which is something few shows tend to do, is that every episode has a unique adventure. It doesn’t just follow on from the previous one. However there’s always a background baddie who Buffy will ultimately fight at the end of the season (sometimes throughout). If you need to binge watch a show, look no further. If you can get past some of the bad CGI then you won’t be disappointed. I actually think that’s part of its charm.

The Lost Boys

Kiefer Sutherland is simply amazing. End of. Okay but seriously, this 1987 Vampire classic has everything you want, from excellent acting all the way to the brilliant Corey Feldman – plus did you see Kiefer Sutherland’s hair? If you’re looking for a cult classic for this weekend, then this is the perfect one!

The film follows brothers Michael and Sam (Jason Patric & Corey Haim) as they move to a new town after their mother divorces her husband. When Michael falls in with the wrong crowd, things take a turn for the worse for the Emerson family and it’s up to Sam and his new found vampire-hunter friends to save the day.

Filled with comedy, dark humour and serious undertones, I liken this film to Buffy The Vampire Slayer – and you can definitely see the resemblance between Spike (James Marsters) and David (Kiefer Sutherland). They’re just the original ‘cool’ vampire. Nothing like the Twilightcast…

Blade

Who could ever forget this film? Don’t answer that. Everyone has forgotten about this in the film industry. The first Black Marvel superhero wasn’t Black Panther, it was Blade. And he was by far my favourite Marvel character growing up, besides Spiderman.

The half-vampire ultimate hunter was mysterious, witty, and overall bad-ass (which, for me, is a necessity when it comes to Vampire films / shows). It doesn’t seem like a Marvel film, because it isn’t apart of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and there’s probably no space by now to fit vampire’s into the mix. But I’m glad this is the case. As a stand alone film, it includes everything you want from a darker horror film.

Not shying away from witty lines, it’s also not over powered by them, and Wesley’s fighting style (he did his own stunts) has no match. It’s sexy, dangerous and dark – all things a new Marvel film would leave out, which is why I think it’s so brilliant – it’s too unique to even fit in with its own universe.

Made in 1998, it has all of the 90’s classic vamp elements, including sharp teeth, black leather and bad CGI. It’s a must watch! (What is my obsession with bad CGI?) The second film is also great, but the third was not well received – great soundtrack though.

True Blood

Another great show named True Blood, brought to you by Charlaine Harris’s book series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, is a very long, very binge worthy vampire series, based in the modern day.

These vampires are, a little more deadly, so to speak, and probably a lot more scary in the case of Russell Edgington, winning possibly the goriest scene of television I’ve ever seen with this particular scene (turn away if this is a spoiler or if you’re just squeamish).

As you recover from the brilliance of the scene, let’s talk about the undertones of this show. They’re different to the previous titles i’ve listed, since they explore themes of society and politics in more obvious depth. The entire show is based on humans trying to equalise vampires – basically trying to regulate them, so they don’t kill humans.

They give them a brand of drink called true blood, which curves their cravings so they don’t kill humans, but the show isn’t as simple as this as you can imagine. With a whopping 7 seasons, there’s plenty of time for things to go wrong. It’s also very explicit, and is rated 18, since there’s plenty of gore for the horror lovers.

Nosferatu

Taking it back a few (many) years, never underestimate this 1922 Draculastory. This is probably up there as the creepiest vampire film I’ve seen to date. Though it’s old, and cinema has come a long way since, it done so well for its time that I had to include it in the list.

Sometimes curling up on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon is a good time to watch the old classics, and if that is your thing, this is definitely a good choice. Although dated, the story follows the very well-received classic novel, Bram Stoker’sDracula, and get this, it’s silent!

Don’t let this put you off – this actually makes it scarier. Plus if you’ve already watched Buffy, this will show you where Joss Whedon clearly got his inspiration for his critically acclaimed episode “Hush“. Sometimes no words at all can actually create a much more vivid image – it’s what cinema is all about.

The reason I left The Vampire Diaries off, which I’ve watched twice, is because the only character I actually truly liked was Damon, and even then he sometimes got on my nerves, what with his undertones of sexism, especially in the first few seasons.

I get it though, he’s over one hundred years old, he’s bound to have old fashioned views, which I actually enjoyed, but I can bet it wasn’t intended by the producers, since the show is more of a Pop song among the classic Rock I’ve included in this list.